For all its dystopian setting, this satisfying trilogy closer is full of pluck
The postdiluvian Flooded Earth trilogy concludes as it began, with high-seas derring-do.
Ever since Will and Annalie’s father, Spinner, vanished at the onset of The Flooded Earth (2018), they’ve been searching for him along with their friends Essie and Pod (and of course Graham, their cybernetically enhanced talking parrot. Their dystopian world, flooded not from climate change but due to the hubris of weather-controlling scientists, is ruled by the wicked Admiralty. Spinner was studying the work of the scientists whose research created the Flood, and the Admiralty will stop at nothing to capture him—because they want to use his research to create weapons. The children must fight not only the Admiralty, but the many dangers that dot their world’s coastlines and oceans, beginning with a fight with pirates at the onset of this adventure. Along the way they rescue Pod’s young enslaved sister, cross the dangerous Outer Ocean, escape from deadly shadow whales and wild dogs, and repeatedly escape from the wicked Admiralty commander. And perhaps, they discover, not everyone in the Admiralty is wicked; once, “they were a force for good in the world.” If only the good members of the Admiralty can be convinced to see the horrors of the refugee camps, perhaps things can change. Race is unspecified, though there is some indication of whiteness among the Admiralty and the wealthy.
For all its dystopian setting, this satisfying trilogy closer is full of pluck . (Science fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77278-099-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Pajama Press
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Epic—in plot, not length—and as wise and wonderful as Gerald Morris’ Arthurian exploits.
Who needs dragons when there are Terrible Lizards to be fought?
Having recklessly boasted to King Arthur and the court that he’d slain 40 dragons, Sir Erec can hardly refuse when Merlin offers him more challenging foes…and so it is that in no time (so to speak), Erec, with bookish Sir Hector, the silent and enigmatic Black Knight, and blustering Sir Bors with his thin but doughty squire, Mel, in tow, are hewing away at fearsome creatures sporting natural armor and weapons every bit as effective as knightly ones. Happily, while all the glorious mashing and bashing leads to awesome feats aplenty—who would suspect that a ravening T. Rex could be decked by a well-placed punch to the jaw?—when the dust settles neither bloodshed nor permanent injury has been dealt to either side. Better yet, not even the stunning revelation that two of the Three Stooges–style bumblers aren’t what they seem (“Anyone else here a girl?”) keeps the questers from developing into a well-knit team capable of repeatedly saving one another’s bacon. Phelan endows the all-white human cast with finely drawn, eloquently expressive faces but otherwise works in a loose, movement-filled style, pitting his clanking crew against an almost nonstop onslaught of toothy monsters in a monochrome mix of single scenes and occasional wordless sequential panels.
Epic—in plot, not length—and as wise and wonderful as Gerald Morris’ Arthurian exploits. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-268623-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
PROFILES
A quick pull on a reliable, if not exactly minty-fresh, formula.
Walliams drills into a primal fear with this tale of a new dentist with a decidedly evil agenda.
In a blatant grab at Roald Dahl fans, the author pulls out a cast of cheeky children, thoroughly rotten villains, and clueless but well-meaning grown-ups for a Brit-flavored romp that combines moments of intense terror and bracing courage with biting satire—oh, and gruesome bits. Ross offers a plethora of loosely sketched ink-and-wash vignettes generally indistinguishable from Quentin Blake’s. All over town, children have been putting lost teeth beneath their pillows and, instead of money, getting cat poo, oozing scabs, and like rewards. Worse yet, following shocked comments about the state of 12-year-old Alfie’s “teet,” canny Winnie, a flamboyant new West Indian social worker, tricks the lad into visiting the newly arrived (with her cat, Fang) dentist, Miss Root. Alfie regains consciousness with nary a tooth in his mouth—it seems that Miss Root is the Tooth Witch herself. She’s not to be stopped, either, without help from new, dreadlocked friend (not girlfriend) Gabz, a vat of acid with revolting ingredients (carefully listed), and lots of dynamite. Walliams spritzes the narrative with made-up but not particularly inventive words and large-type screaming. Winnie, dark-skinned Gabz (short for Gabriella), and newsagent Raj are the only notable nonwhite characters; Winnie’s accent is an unfortunate running joke.
A quick pull on a reliable, if not exactly minty-fresh, formula. (pictorial cast list) (Horror. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-241704-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
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